Developing Missouri’s ‘Road to Tomorrow’

Interstate 70 between Kansas City and St. Louis is about to become a “laboratory for construction of the next generation of highways” where private-sector organizations can test new technologies. Read more

Powerful Fabric Developed by UK Students a Game-changer for Fixing Local Bridges

A game-changer for fixing failing bridges is coming in the form of a powerful fabric, developed by engineering students at the University of Kentucky. Not only is it strong, it is a cost-saver too. Read more

If You Have Not Adopted Lean, Here’s The Reason You Will

Someone who has never heard of “lean construction” would be right to think “lean” means reduced waste, higher productivity, and better profitability. Those benefits alone would be great reasons to adopt the practice, but if you are not practicing lean construction, those reasons probably won’t be the ones that make you take the leap and learn how to do it. When you do adopt lean practices, you’ll likely do it to remain competitive. Because construction companies practicing lean report its greatest benefit is to win them business. Read more

The Gauntlet Is Thrown, What Are You Doing to Promote Construction?

With a looming skilled labour shortage plaguing Canada’s construction industry, the Ontario Construction Careers Alliance (OCCA) is hoping to combat the problem by reaching out to high school students across Ontario with the goal of educating them about the many career opportunities available to them in construction. Read more

New Brochure: Standardization of Construction Specifications and Contract Language

The CCA Civil Infrastructure Council has published a new brochure that can be used to discuss standardization of construction specifications and contract language with municipal officials.
Download brochure

Prompt Payment Issue Has Momentum Nationwide

There are moving parts at play in many provinces and at the federal level that will impact the construction industry, said Gilbert Brulotte, chair of the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) during its spring board meeting in Halifax, N.S. Read more.

Siemens’ Spider Robots Could Disrupt the Construction Industry

The new line of spider-like robots currently being designed and tested at a Princeton, New Jersey research facility owned by German engineering giant Siemens AG work together to achieve the goal of large scale 3-D Printing. Essentially autonomous 3D-printing devices with legs, the spiders are currently limited to producing polylactic acid but could, in theory, accommodate other 3D printing-friendly materials such as plastic, nylon, epoxy, silver, titanium, or steel. Read more.

Japan Developing Extraterrestrial Construction Machines

The Japanese space agency has teamed up with construction company Kajima to develop autonomous construction machines for the moon and Mars. Read more.

Poraver X, A New Use for Beer Bottles

There’s a new, lightweight aggregate on the market that debuted at the World of Concrete trade show in February 2016. It’s called Poraver X. The word “poraver” actually means porous glass. Read more.

Dutch Contractor BAM Unveils Autonomous Robotic 3-D Printer

International contracting giant Royal BAM Group and developed a freeform 3-D robotic printer that can both navigate a construction site and print on its own, according to Global Construction Review. Read more.